Ladder



Dec. 6, 1927. I 1,651,914

P. BERTRAND LADDER Filed-June a. 1926 Patented Dec. 6, 1927.

warren STATES PAUL BERTRAND, OF LA CROIX, FRANCE.

LADDER.

Application filed June 8, 1926, Serial No. 114,451, and in France June 17, 1925.

As a general rule, the ladders which are employed in situations in which no support is offered for the top of the ladder, coinprise a second rigid frame which is hinged to the part carrying the rounds and which forms the rear support for the ladder. This rear support may also form a ladder, thus constituting a double ladder, and such devices usually require various accessory parts, either temporary or permanent, whereby the two frames may be held apart without danger of accidents.

But it is obvious that such ladders cannot be used upon broken ground, whatever may be the direction, since the points of support must necessarily be situated in the same horizontal plane.

' I am enabled in the first place to obviate this latter defect by the apparatus according to my invention, and I furtherobtain a greater stability, since the sustaining polygon of the ladder can be augmented at will.

In principle, my invention consists in the use of a simple ladder with parallel uprights, and I pivot to the upper part of each upright a rod which can be moved in all directions with reference to the corresponding upright.

The appended drawings show by way of example an embodiment of the invention.

Fig. 1 is a perspective view of the ladder when folded, and Fig. 2 is a like view of the ladder in the operative position.

Fig. 3 is a sectional view of the socket support for pivoting the rod to the upright of the ladder.

With reference to the drawings, it is observed that the ladder comprises the two uprights 1 and 2 and the rounds 3.

The upper part of each upright is traversed by an axle 4 which is threaded at 5 and passes through the hole 6 .of a friction washer 7, being then mounted on the upper curved part 8 of the socket piece 9. The nut 10 presses the washer 7 against the upright, and to the threaded end 5 may be screwed accessory parts such as 10 forming a. hook, or like pieces.

At the end of the hinge piece 9 is a socket 11 into which is fitted the rod, which is maintained therein by suitable means.

The rods 12 may have any suitable length,

France, this 28th but I prefer to give them a length such that when they are attached at their upper ends to the said uprights, their lower ends will be a at the same level as the bottom of the said uprights. Due to the fact that the said rods are movable on two axes, it will be noted that in order to make use of the ladder, the supporting rods (Fig. 2) must be crossed in such manner that the rod of the right hand upright will be situated at the left hand part of the ladder, and vice versa, and by this disposition the ladder will be very steady.

From the preceding considerations, the advantages offered by my said invention will be readily observed.

The apparatus can be employed on broken ground, since the ladder can be placed in any direction and upon all surfaces. The weight of the device is less, since the supporting rods may consist of bamboo. The apparatus occupies less space and afiords a more substantial construction, whilst the 7 cost of construction is reduced. 7

By my said device, the objects can be acted upon from the front, the legs being spread out on both sides, and the ladder can be placed in position in spite of obstacles, by so moving one leg after the other. I am further enabled to convert any ladder into a ladder provided with rear supports, by the addition of a pair of pivoted supporting rods, which can be readily mounted in place. 85

I claim:

A ladder comprising uprights, top cross bar and steps secured together as a rigid member, T headed pivot bolts passed through the uprights immediately beneath on the cross-bar, socket members having parallel ears hinged to the lateral ends of the pivot bolts inwardly of the uprights, and a bar secured in each socket member and rivets extending through the socket members 95. o

and bars to secure same together, the bars being wholly independent of each other and capable of moving in any direction relative to the uprights to form supports, the bars being arranged wholly within the plane of 160 the uprights when not in use.

Signed at Marseille, Bouches-du-Rhone, day of May, A. D. 1926.

PAUL BERTRAND. 

